1 . Putting more green space around a school may help students develop some mental abilities, a study suggests. Researchers tested students repeatedly over the course of a year on attentiveness (专注力)and working memory, which is the ability to keep something in mind temporarily for performing a task. On the whole, students whose schools were surrounded by more green space improved more than pupils from schools with less green space.
The study tracked more than 2,000 students in 36 primary schools in Barcelona, Spain. The pupils were in the second to fourth grades when the study began. Green space may help mental development by reducing air pollution from vehicles, according to an article by the researchers that included pollution data from the schools. It may also help by reducing noise and encouraging physical activity, researchers said.
Policy makers should know that “more green around the school is better for cognitive development and that they should make sure that kids can see and play in green areas,” one author Mark Nieuwenhuijsen said. “Existing urban schools should think about replacing concrete or other hard surfaces with green space,” he suggested, “and even a few trees may help.”
The researchers used satellite images to group schools according to how much green space appeared on the school grounds and within about 55 yards of the school property. Their analysis showed that differences in socio-economic factors between schools did not account for the study outcome.
Sally Augustin, a psychologist, said the results made sense to her. She said the results fit with previous findings that views of nature help children and adults lower stress and perform mental tasks better.
1. What does the text mainly tell us?| A．Green space makes schools more beautiful. |
| B．Schools are lack of green space for students. |
| C．Students’ mental abilities need to be improved. |
| D．Green space is good for students’ mental abilities. |
| A．Moved. | B．Helped. | C．Followed. | D．Found. |
| A．More trees should be planted for kids. |
| B．Noise should be cleared near the school. |
| C．Kids should be encouraged to play more sports. |
| D．Air pollution should be reduced from vehicles. |
| A．To show a different opinion. |
| B．To introduce another interesting study. |
| C．To present Augustin’s view about the study. |
| D．To make the findings of the study more convincing. |
| A．Health. | B．Education. | C．Nature. | D．Technology. |
2 . Be a Green Guest
When people take a vacation, they often take vacation from responsibility, too. Our behavior at hotels is one of the biggest problems. We have our linens(纺织品) washed daily for us, and are provided with an endless stream of hot water — what’s not to love about that? But all of this luxury equals serious consequences for the environment. More and more hotels are becoming eco-friendly. They offer programs and facilities that save water and energy. That’s a good start,
•Just say “no” to hotel shampoos
In America alone, there are about 50,000 hotels. Hotel management normally leaves out two small bottles for each hotel room every day.
•Turn off the lights.
•
Sure, it’s a luxury to have sheets and towels cleaned every day, but that’s all it is. Washing a set of bed sheets and a pair of bathroom towels requires about 12-16 gallons of water. See if there is a policy for requesting that your towels and linens get washed weekly.
| A．You do it when you’re at home, right? |
| B．Don’t shower too many times in hotels. |
| C．Don’t have your linens washed every day. |
| D．but they can do more to reduce these energy waste. |
| E．The little plastic bottles may not even get recycled. |
| F．but there is a lot more you can do to cut down the amount. |
| G．In some hotels, it’s as simple as hanging towels back up on a hook. |
